Channel and Flathead Catfish regulations
Cut bait, chicken liver and live bream on the bottom in river bends and lake channels, best after dark in summer.
Applies to: Statewide freshwater waters
| Species / zone | Season | Size | Bag | Notes |
|---|
- FWC lists no species-specific bag or size limit for channel and flathead catfish on this page; general freshwater rules apply.
- No person shall have in his possession more than two days’ bag limit of freshwater game fish.
- Each angler is responsible for his or her own bag limit. It is illegal to transport or possess more than two days’ bag limit of fish per licensed angler without a commercial license.
- No native freshwater fish or their eggs may be taken or possessed except as permitted by these rules nor shall anyone wantonly or willfully waste the same.
- An angler participating in the TrophyCatch Program may temporarily possess in live condition one Florida bass or largemouth bass, 8 pounds or greater, over the legal length limit and bag limit in order to obtain photographic or video documentation of the fish. All bass retained for this purpose must be released alive into the waterbody in which it was caught immediately after documentation.
- An angler may possess one Florida bass or largemouth bass 16.5 pounds or greater, per day over the legal length or bag limit when submitting for the certification of a potential state record provided they contact the Commission.
- Keep game fish intact: black bass, striped bass and white bass or their hybrids, peacock bass, or black crappie and panfish (for black crappie and panfish, only in waters where minimum-length or slot-size limits for these fish apply) may not be filleted, nor their head or tail fin removed, until the angler has completed fishing for the day.
Source: FWC, extracted 2026-09-12. Review flags: The page lists 'Black bass' as a group including Florida, largemouth, Suwannee, spotted, Choctaw and shoal bass. Specific size restrictions for Suwannee, shoal, spotted, and Choctaw bass (min 12 inches) are noted separately from the general 'one over 16 inches' rule.; Coast designation for freshwater species is marked as 'unknown' or inferred based on river location (e.g., Suwannee and Ochlockonee are Gulf coast rivers, but the regulation is statewide freshwater).; Sturgeon are listed as protected; season is treated as closed year-round for recreational take.